Steve De Jarnatt Movies

Aspiring moviemaker Gordo (Adam Lamberg) inadvertently leaves his videocam running in his absence, and as a result "captures" Kate (Ashlie Brillault) making a startling confession. Inspired, Gordo sets about to produce a documentary comprised of life's most embarrassing moments -- with the school's most popular kids as his unwitting "stars." Fans of Lizzie McGuire leading lady Hilary Duff will no doubt be able to spot her sister, Haylie Duff, in an uncredited bit role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Assigned to review the school play "Greasier" (an original -- more or less -- by teacher Mr. Escobar [Daniel R. Escobar]), Lizzie (Hilary Duff) finds herself on the horns of a dilemma. It seems that Lizzie's best friend Miranda (Lalaine) is playing the leading role -- and to put it mildly, Miranda is gosh-awful. Encouraged by Gordo (Adam Lamberg) to be merciless in her review, friendship or no friendship, kind-hearted Lizzie chooses instead to couch her critique in euphemisms -- and ends up getting in trouble with Miranda all the same. Meanwhile, Matt (Jake Thomas) goes to incredible lengths to purchase a costly walkie-talkie set. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Nerdy Larry Tudgeman (Kyle J. Downes) makes a startling revelation: he has a crush on Lizzie (Hilary Duff). Reminding Lizzie that her dad, Sam (Robert Carradine), was once a "nerd" himself, mom Jo (Hallie Todd) advises Lizzie not to spurn Larry out of hand, and to at least give him a chance. Much to her surprise, Lizzie enjoys Larry's company -- though, of course, she's not prepared to make a romantic commitment. This means nothing to the redoubtable Kate (Ashlie Brillault), who starts spreading rumors about the "torrid" relationship between Lizzie and Larry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Teenage patients pour into the ER after a suspicious explosion in a high school science class. Lawrence (Alan Alda) becomes erratic and violently angry, leading the staff to wonder if the veteran doctor is functioning at full capacity. Elaine (Rebecca De Mornay) hopes to "connect" with her former brother-in-law, Carter (Noah Wyle), before heading to Europe. Dr. Dave (Erik Palladino) gets another much-needed lesson in humanity and humility. Carol (Julianna Margulies) is outraged to discover that pregnant waitress Meg (Martha Plimpton) is shooting heroin. And Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) is finding it increasingly difficult to juggle her workload with her domestic duties. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This future-set action thriller originally aired on the ABC television network. It takes place in a time when the hottest sport around is a high-tech combination of in-line skating and skateboarding that is so challenging that only the toughest, most dexterous athletes can thrive. Tremaine Ramsey is the greatest athlete of them all. Fame for him is a drug; it is such an obsession that it threatens his personal and professional life. When a terrorist group arises that threatens the world's safety, Tre is asked to use his special skills to stop them. In so doing, he is forced to reevaluate his attitudes and behavior towards others. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Where the original Gremlins was a horror film spiked with comedy, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is essentially a black comedy, with a couple of horrifying touches. As the film starts, the fantastical trinket shop in Chinatown, which sold the Mogwai in the first film, is demolished by a crazed multi-media businessman called Daniel Clamp (John Glover). The heroes from the first movie, Billy (Zach Galligan) and Kate (Phoebe Cates), happen to work for Clamp in his huge high-rise. They find the Mogwai within Clamp's building, but not before he has accidentally spawned legions of mischievous, lizard-like Gremlins. Soon, the Gremlins are wreaking havoc throughout the building. In the original film, their misdeeds were violent, but here they're also goofy and satirical. Director Joe Dante has filled the film with quick verbal and visual jokes, which, for many, makes Gremlins 2: The New Batch a satire and inversion of the typical horror film. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

In this arch sci-fi sex comedy-cum-action extravaganza, a hard-nosed female mercenary helps a hapless yuppie find a new body for his robot girlfriend in the post-industrial wasteland of the American Southwest. In the year 2017, what little remains of civilization feeds off the scrap heap of 20th century waste, while even casual sex has become a matter of regulations and contracts. Like many other members of the L.A. white-collar elite, Sam Treatwell (David Andrews) takes refuge in a quasi-marriage with his beloved sex robot, Cherry (Pamela Gidley). After a soft-focus, bubbly sexcapade short circuits Cherry's body, Sam considers replacing her, but the shoddy production values of modern robots make it obvious that the vintage appliance is irreplaceable. To put it simply, the guy's in love. The wistful romantic therefore heads out to The Zone, a forbidding no man's land, where he hopes to find a new "chassis" in which to insert Cherry's unique personality chip. To do so, he needs the help of a "tracker," and E. Johnson (Melanie Griffith) is just the woman for the job. The gun-toting, red-headed road warrior leads Sam through a dystopian desert landscape full of psychopaths and opportunists toward their final destination: an abandoned warehouse full of antique androids. Along the way, Sam learns what it's like to interact with a woman who has brains and a heart instead of a microchip. Filmed in 1986, Cherry 2000 didn't receive its limited theatrical release until 1988, the same year star Griffith received an Oscar nomination for her role in Working Girl. Griffith and director Steven de Jarnatt previously worked together on the pilot for the 1980s revival of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Ben Johnson, veteran of many a Hollywood Western, appears as E. Johnson's mentor, Six Finger Jake. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Alfred Hitchcock Presents is the portmanteau pilot film for the subsequent TV revival of Hitchcock's celebrated anthology series of the 1950s and '60s. Four short tales are presented, each of them remakes of earlier Alfred Hitchcock programs. "Incident in a Small Jail," originally presented in 1961 with John Fiedler in the lead, stars Ned Beatty as a traveling salesman who finds himself sharing a jail cell with an accused rapist -- the target of an angry, indiscriminate lynch mob. "Man from the South," based on an oft-adapted Roald Dahl piece, stars John Huston as a cagey gambler who makes a grisly wager with novice Steven Bauer. The original 1959 Hitchcock version of this tale starred Peter Lorre and Steve McQueen; featured in the cast of the remake are former Hitchcock movie leading ladies Kim Novak and Tippi Hedren, as well as Hedren's daughter Melanie Griffith. "Bang, You're Dead" is a taut, tension-filled tale of a child who wanders around town with a loaded gun. The child is a little girl (Bianca Rose), but in the initial 1961 version the protagonist was a boy, played by Billy Mumy (who appears in this remake in a small role). The final playlet, "The Unlocked Window," is an abbreviated version of a story first shown on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1965. Bruce Davidson is featured in a virtual reprise of that beloved old Hitchcock protagonist Norman Bates. Each of the four stories in Alfred Hitchcock Presents had its own director -- in order of appearance, they are Joel Oliansky, Steve De Jarnatt, Randa Haines, and Fred Walton -- and all were narrated by co-star John Huston. The late Alfred Hitchcock opens and closes each playlet via colorized footage from the original series -- a bizarre touch that "The Master" might have approved of. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide